Reading Nutrition Facts Labels

<>  <> You have probably seen the Nutrition Facts label on a package of food you were eating.  The more familiar you are with the information, the more you’ll want to use it daily to ensure you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Reading Nutrition Facts labels can be a challenging task at first.

Every Nutrition Facts Label is divided into several parts. The top section contains product information, such as serving size, calories and nutrients of a certain food. They vary with each food product you buy. The bottom part is basically a footnote and provides general dietary data about nutrients. 

When looking at a nutrition facts label on a food package you want to start with the serving size.

All the data on the label refer to a single serving size. They are not always identical with the entire content of the food container. In fact, you should expect that the typical package contains more than one serving size. For instance, a bag of potato chips can have more than one serving. So you have to calculate the amount of servings yourself. If you eat a bag of potato chips that contains, let’s say, four servings, you have to multiply the data on the Nutrition Facts label by four. That means that you consume four times the amount of calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugars and protein that are indicated on the label.

Next on the label we have the Total Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. Fat, particularly saturated fat and trans fat, cholesterol and sodium have all potentially negative health effects. While it is nearly impossible to avoid them altogether, you can take steps to limit consumption of these as much as possible.

The ”Percent Daily Value” refers to dietary needs based on a 2,000 calorie diet. It may not match the percent of nutrients in your diet and may be significantly above the needs of young children. So don’t worry too much about this number in the middle section of the label. Try to keep the total daily intake under 100% DV.

On the other hand, you want to make sure your kids get enough complex carbohydrates as well as fiber. We want to get plenty of fiber, vitamins and minerals! Getting enough fiber will enhance regularity. Calcium helps building bones and teeth. Iron is good for the blood. Vitamins A and C are antioxidants that can decrease the risk of heart disease and help to strengthen the immune system.

You can see that food labels not only warn about potentially detrimental ingredients in your food, they also inform about the benefits. While these numbers may not be applicable for children of all ages, they do tell about the nutritional quality of the food you give your family.

Ingredient lists work almost like recipes. They indicate what’s in the food container. All ingredients are listed in a certain order – the largest amounts come first, the smallest come last.

Nutrition Facts Labels are a great tool, when used correctly, to guide your food purchasing choices at the grocery store. Remember to read those labels!